1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery powered animated figures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The popularity of novelty wrist watches and the like has led to the development of numerous different styles of watches displaying different novelty figures on the faces thereof, some incorporating a depiction of the hands of such figures as the hands of sweep hand on the faces of such watches.
The popularity of cartoon and television characters have led to the proposal of watches incorporating three dimension depictions of such characters. Devices of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 288,343 to Owaga. Watches of these types, while being satisfactory for their intended uses fail to incorporate animated three dimensional figures.
There has long existed a need for a wrist watch device incorporating a three dimensional novelty figure with an animated portion which could be powered by conventional electric watch batteries without consumption of undue energy.
In effort to overcome this problem, the present invention incorporates an armature which is selectively energized to move an animated figure part and which is also balanced against the weight of such animated part. While balanced armatures have been proposed in the past for relays, switches and the like, none of those devices have been generally accepted in a wrist watch construction employing an animated figure.
The animated wrist watch of the present invention also addresses the problem associated with application of high acceleration forces to the animated figure part and associated armature resulting from rapid wrist movement. While attention has, in the past, been given to efforts to minimize forces imposed on dynamic parts as a result of forces of acceleration, none have attained optimum results in minimizing forces applied to moveable figure parts in a wrist watch apparatus.